mcordell

Bolt on rings were not an option because the same rings were used for harness articulation. What they could have done is either shut their doors and done nothing or just said sorry for your bad luck and kept on with new orders. They also could have just said it was one ring and everyone else is fine and let people jump gear they weren't 100% sure about. What they did was incur the expense of paying for shipping and rebuilding entirely new rigs at no cost. That takes time. No other company has ever gone to such great lengths. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Just for anyone else's sake. You are welcome to reach out to me in the future for Parachute Systems gear. [email protected] www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

all of my customers have theirs back except one that specified a custom fabric that has to be special ordered in. That will definitely delay the container but that's understandable too. They are running just a week or two behind current estimates, however they may be caught back up soon to the estimated date. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Btw, I asked cirrus about those. This is what I was told So I wouldn't use them www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I was put in contact with someone that had a pair they were willing to sell www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have received several of mine and my customers back and another is shipping in a few days or so. The ones with changes that require invoicing will take a little bit longer. Otherwise they are pretty much on schedule www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Well that was fast. Got some ordered! Thanks! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Looking for 2 separable rings. Anyone have a couple they are willing to part with? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Message from Chris Dales, CEO of Parachute Systems: Fellow Skydivers, Customers and Friends! We are six weeks into the process of the recall. Thank you to all for the support, co-operation and assistance in getting your forms, rigs and information to us. We, at Parachute Systems, have worked hard in this short time to get organized and place additional staff, machines, materials and plans in place to service this recall and replacement. We will be able to release your place in the line and an estimate of timing for delivery by March 1st, 2016. Blue skies and thanks Chris Dales Feb 22nd, 2016 www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

They could be right and they could be wrong. See here's the reason those numbers are pure speculation. Without sharing more than I am allowed to, what I can say is the production time is going to take a certain minimum amount of time. That minimum amount of time is simply production. During any production week the factory can output a set number of containers. Of course the first in that stream of containers going out is going to be set back by the number of weeks it takes to produce the containers and then that stream of containers remains constant with X number of containers each week being put out from the factory until they are all remade. Nobody can tell you when container z will be produced because it depends on too many factors. Some of that depends on when the recall notice was received by the factory, when the original container was received by the factory, and based on those factors, where the container falls in line. Even knowing where a container falls in line doesn't necessarily give you an idea. Lets say for example, your container is rig 100 in line for production. Lets assume, as an example (not based on real numbers) that being 100 in line means your will be put out in the 9th week of production. There are going to be other factors that affect your place in line. If 20 of the containers ahead of yours have requested changes, those containers may be delayed as the changes have to be invoiced and paid for before production can begin on them. That could hypothetically move you up to #80 in line and move you to week 8 of production. Likewise, if a sponsored team has to have all their rigs replaced, perhaps those 8 people are prioritized in order to make training and competition schedules. That could push you back a week. All of that being a hypothetical situation of course, you can see that any speculation on when the rigs will be produced is simply that. Speculation. The replacement rigs are not going into the standard production line and the manufacturing time on them is not the same. There is no precedent for a dealer who is not directly involved in the process to base that estimate on. They could be spot on by chance or they could be way off. To simply state a number (like 20 weeks) is to assume that the first and last rigs off the line are all being produced at exactly the same time and leaving the factory on the same week. That's not even possible. I really wish I could give you a better idea of production time. I am getting that question every day and I have no specific answer. I know some of my customers are currently in production and some are still in the cue. I can promise that neither I, nor anyone at Parachute Systems is trying to keep anyone in the dark. When you start speculating on timelines all you are doing is setting up possibly false expectations and none of us want to do that. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That's good of course. But how the heck do they do it? It's hard for companies to suddenly increase production rate. If it is correct that all rigs in the past 4 years of production (at a minimum) are grounded, and they plan to fix things by the end of 2016 for example, then they have 5 years worth of rigs to build or rebuild this year. Minus some percentage for rigs that are out of service or owners totally off the grid. Increasing production rates by hundreds of percent isn't easy. One can hire new people with industry & sewing experience, skip non-essential projects, and work weekends. Or is there some extra capacity related to setting up US based production (while keeping the SA production open?). Are the remade rigs truly on a separate production line, in a physical sense, and not just in the sense of a virtual queue for what has priority? I obviously don't know what goes on at Parachute Systems, and they don't have to tell me, but it would be quite the business case study to see how they satisfy the recall without impacting current production in any way. Well I can't really get into the specifics of the internal workings but there are new production lines in the physical sense. New equipment and increased manpower specifically dedicated to the remade rigs. Some of the remade rigs will be rolling out of the factory soon. I know how many total rigs are affected and how many they add to the production cue each week and while that information is not currently something I'm allowed to discuss publicly I can tell you the production time on them Is not quite the doom and gloom scenario some people think it will be. They have really gotten on top of things and the owner has even flown back to Durban from his home in SC. I've been impressed with their effort and I'm very optimistic that this will all work quite smoothly. I'll be at the PIA meeting in Scottsdale on behalf of the company here next week to discuss the recall as well. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Please don't spread misinformation. It is true the factory closes for an extended time for the holidays which is apparently a south Africa thing, but lead time on new orders has nothing at all to do with the lead time on the remade rigs. They are not on the same lines and they have nothing to do with one another's manufacturing time. There are a lot of requests going into the factory and I am in communication with them pretty regularly. I can't quote times on the replacements, however I can tell you they are cranking out work very quickly. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

These would only work for your vortex however if the harness is not articulated as there is no way to replace those rings without picking the stitching on the harness. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

They are being sent out at this time. You should receive yours soon www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

What is the cost of having them, other than the monetary cost when ordering a new rig? The only cost is the upfront cost, unless they are a part of some service bulletin . I just haven't been convinced of their supposed benefits. Full harness articulation is a standard and included feature in Vortex rigs and as such there are a lot of articulated Vortexes out there. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

any modification to the system just requires manufacturer approval and a proper rating. An alternate means of compliance could be to take your rig to a local master rigger and have them completely replace the harness, rings and all. All it takes is approval from the manufacturer. I don't know if they would approve it or not and I believe one thing they want by rebuilding the systems for every customer is to physically receive back the old rig to ensure they are out of the field. This keeps people from ignoring the service bulletin and continuing to jump something that is possibly unsafe. By physically receiving them back they know they are no longer in circulation. That's speculation on my part as I have only discussed the process for the recall with the owners and not alternative options or possibilities. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Do I understand correctly that skyhook should not be removed? What the hardware will be supplied with the new containers? DSF hardware again? Daesung forge has been great at accepting responsibility and incurring expenses in the remedy of this situation. New, different hardware has been ordered and will be included with the new containers however I have been asked to not post brands and for good reason that I have discussed with the owners. The hardware will be stamped and it will be apparent what brand is used and I'm happy to answer that question privately but would not want to do anything to drag daesung forge through the mud when they are clearly as concerned for the safety of the jumpers as Parachute Systems is. I will pm you to talk about it and will gladly discuss it with anyone concerned about the hardware on the new rigs but understand that the hardware will be fully tested and from a reputable manufacturer. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Hey Mike, question: Is the $150 fee for changing the canopy sizes or the harness size? Just asking because if nothing else this is a decent chance for people who bought their Vortexes used and could use a small harness size change, which shouldn't cost PS anything extra as long as the canopy sizes are the same. This charge is for cobrained size changes only. Harness adjustment is free. The reason for the additional charge is because a change in container size requires manufacturing a new components for the different sized container. Components from a 170 rig such as free bag and d-bag are not compatible with a 150 container. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

This was an option that was considered however those rings were somewhat unattractive, these rigs have up to 6 of the same rings, and the by the time the new rings were manufactured, tested, and approved they could have rebuilt the rigs with the proper rings which is what is in the best interest of the customer. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

DSF is in agreement with the decision to recall the rings. They could not determine with 100% certainty what caused it and narrow it to a particular batch. Everyone agrees it was likely a flaw in a singular ring, however without extensive testing of every ring on the market it would be impossible to say for certain this could not happen again and so in the interest of safety they are recalling them. I do not know which rings they manufacture for their military contracts or how this affects that aspect of their company. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Now THAT is the answer the other guy needed in the thread about customer service. It would have been much cheaper to take apart the rigs and do just the harness work but they are not pursuing that option because it's not what is best for the customer. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

The replacement process is not a disassembly and rebuild of your existing container system. This is a completely new container being built and shipped at no charge to the consumer. As such, this is an opportunity for you to change your color scheme at no additional charge if you would like, however please note that changes to the container sizing will carry a fee of $150 as this will also require additional components to be manufactured that are not subject to the recall (i.e. deployment bag/pc assembly). You can also add rsl, skyhook, and custom embroidery for a fee. Shipping will be done per the service bulletin instructions. I am willing to assist any Parachute Systems customer in making this process as smooth as possible, even if you did not originally purchase your container system from Flint Hills Rigging. If you need assistance, you can contact me via email at [email protected], on facebook at Facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging, or via PM. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

UPDATE: All affected Vortex rigs which were subject to this service bulletin will be replaced with brand new harness/container systems at no cost. The manufacturer of the rings was unable to guarantee this was an isolated incident and as such, the most viable option to address the safety concern is for the company to replace the harness/container assemblies. Additional production lines have been added at the factory to handle these replacements in a timely manner and production time for orders currently in production as well as future orders will not be impacted. All current and future orders are built with alternate hardware and are not subject to this recall. Please see the attached updated service bulletin as well as the form necessary to have the harness/container replaced. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have an update and will post it once it is made public and I am allowed to release it. Should be here in a very short time. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging